The composer states:“Acequia Madre demonstrates an approach which was somewhat new to the style of my musical expression at the time of its composition [2012]: structuring a work with the focus on its melodic aspects. I drew inspiration from other creative artists through one of my ‘rituals’: I surrounded myself with the scores of composers who, for one reason or another, were on my mind at the time, like Iannis Xenakis, Alban Berg’s Four Pieces for clarinet and piano, and Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano by Béla Bartók, plus Schubert’s haunting, final String Quartet no 15. Conquering technical difficulties is something I find particularly rewarding when playing acoustic instruments: fully aware that today’s electronics can triumph over a composer’s most demanding technical challenges, I love the idea of performers encountering their instruments with virtuosity … doing something that seems to defy physical boundaries.” Note: The two versions of the work (clarinet & piano, viola & piano) differ in extent. The respective piano parts are therefore not interchangeable.